The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles today applauded Gov. Brown for signing into law SB 1310, which provides that sentencing for misdemeanors punishable up to a year will not exceed 364.
This would prevent the separation and deportations of thousands of Californians every year.
Of state Sen. Ricardo Lara’s bill, Joseph Villela, policy and advocacy director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights, said:
“While the federal government continues to turn a blind eye to our broken immigration system, California continues to advance state legislation to ensure aspiring citizens are integrated into our fabric instead of being in the shadows.
“This bill ensures immigrant families remain together. It prevents trivial misdemeanors from tearing them apart.
“The new law makes sentencing for minor offenses fair to legal immigrants. State courts retain the ability to impose maximum suspended sentences.
“Without this change,” said Mr. Villela, “thousands of California families would have found themselves in an immigration black hole. Between 1997 and 2007, more than 100,000 children were left without a parent between 1997 and 2007 due to unjust deportations.
“The reduction of one day in the maximum misdemeanor sentence for a legal permanent resident now follows common sense approaches by Washington and Nevada.”
Mr. Cabrera, director of communications for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, may be contacted at jmcabrera@chirla.org. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
See www.chirla.org
